Do you have a recipe for chocolate chip cookies that uses applesauce?

DEAR PEGGY: Do you have a recipe for chocolate chip cookies that uses applesauce instead of margarine? I'm trying to cut some of the saturated fat in our diet. —E.P., Grapevine, Texas

PEGGY: First, I applaud you for trying to cut saturated fat. Unfortunately, though, making cookies with unsweetened applesauce as a fat substitute and keeping the same crispy exterior and tender chewy interior is very difficult. Applesauce has significantly more water than butter and margarine. Using it will most likely make your cookies spread, be too thin and have a cake-like texture. Instead of eating a mediocre cookie, it's best to treat cookies as what they are—an occasional indulgence. They're already preportioned into small sizes, so working full-fat cookies into a healthy diet is just fine—as long as you keep moderation in mind.